VRNT Vol One: Settling In
by no-one-is-special
Summary: "We live in a dangerous world." Vert turned to look back out the window. The night was calm, but Vert could sense a tension in the air. "I want to do my part to make it safer."


Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY

* * *

Beacon Academy. One of four academies scattered throughout Remnant, dedicated to teaching young men and women the skills necessary to become warriors. Ready to defend the people. Warriors called Huntsmen and Huntresses. The first and last line of defense in the battle against the forces of darkness. Monsters feared around the globe as the Creatures of Grimm.

The academy, with its massive gleaming spires, was a shining symbol of hope in a dark and unforgiving world. It was here, at the start of the new term, the mid-afternoon sun beginning its descent, that a young man stared up at the open gates of the academy. Ready to take his first step on the road to becoming a defender of Remnant.

The young man wore a forest green, long sleeve shirt, dark brown cargo pants, and equally dark, heavy work boots. An arming sword hung off his left hip, while a small rectangular object with a pistol grip sat holstered to his right thigh.

"Damn, I should've brought a sketchbook," Vert said as he took in the academy's beautiful courtyard. Overcome with the desire to draw this as soon as possible, the young man knelt down and started searching through his bag for a pencil and paper. He was so set on finding something to draw with that he failed to notice the young woman approaching, her vision obscured by the camera she held to her face until she was practically on top of him.

"Ah-ha!" Vert cried out in victory as his fingers brushed against a pencil buried at the bottom of his bag. His success was short-lived, as a pair of knees collided with his back. The two of them fell to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs. The camera the girl had been holding clattering across the cobblestone walkway.

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry," The girl apologized as the two of them worked to untangle themselves from each other. "I wasn't watching where I was going and..."

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have knelt down in the middle of the walkway," Vert interrupted, pulling himself to his feet, and offering the young woman a hand. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," she replied, taking his hand. "Thank you."

As she brushed some dirt off her clothes, Vert noticed the girl's camera lying on the ground a few feet away. He quickly scooped the camera off the ground and offered it back to her. She gave him an appreciative nod as she accepted the camera.

It was at that moment he got his first good look at her. She wore a zipped up brown jacket over a black shirt, with brown shorts and black and gold boots covering her legs. Her brown hair cascaded down her back and framed her gentle face. But what drew his immediate attention were her large, brown rabbit ears.

He caught himself from blurting out something stupid. Instead, choosing to introduce himself properly. "My name's Vert Argos H…"

The Faunus girl stared at his outstretched hand for a moment, and Vert prayed she didn't notice his slip up. He released his held breath when she grabbed his hand with her own. Vert felt the skin of his palm tingle where it made contact with her's.

"Velvet Scarlatina." she offered a friendly smile that Vert was all too happy to return.

"Is your camera ok?" Vert gestured to the camera in Velvet's hand.

"Yeah, it's a lot tougher than it looks. See for yourself." Velvet offered the camera to Vert to inspect. Aside from a few scuffs on the edges, the camera was undamaged. As he examined it, Vert noticed the last picture Velvet took was still on the display screen. Beacon Academy's main building was the clear focus of the picture, a few clouds looming over its spires. A massive young man was passing by in the foreground, a strap holding a large ax slung across his back.

"Friend of yours?" Vert asked as he handed the camera back.

Velvet wrinkled her brow in confusion before she looked at her last picture. "Oh him? No, he was just passing through the shot. I don't know him at all." Velvet dropped her eyes to the ground as she whispered, "I don't know anybody here actually." Vert was silent for a moment before he gently clapped Velvet on the shoulder.

"Well, you know me now," he said with a warm smile. Velvet blinked once in surprise before she smiled with him.

"All first-year students please report to the auditorium." A woman's commanding voice came out of the speakers spread throughout the courtyard.

"I think that's our cue to get moving," Vert said as he watched some students start making their way to one of the larger buildings. "Care to join me?"

Velvet looked thoughtful for a moment before she gave a quick shake of her head. "I wanted to take a few more pictures before I go in. Thanks for the offer though."

Vert nodded once before he smiled at his new friend. "I'll see you around then. It was great meeting you." The two shook hands once again before they parted ways. Vert smile widened as he watched Velvet snap a picture of him before he turned away.

Neither of them felt the weight of the cold gray eyes that watched from a distance.

* * *

Vert was less than surprised to find the auditorium already full of his fellow first-year students when he walked in. After a few seconds of scanning the crowd, he threw a hand in the air and started waving it back and forth when he spotted a familiar face on the other side of the room.

"Tani!" Vert called out. Titania Belmont's glossy black hair flared out as she spun around. Her bright blue eyes were just as intense as ever while she searched for the source of her old nickname. A broad smile bloomed across her lips as her gaze finally fell upon Vert working his way through the crowded room.

"Vert!" Titania laughed as she pulled Vert into her best attempt at a bear hug. "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," Vert confirmed as he returned the hug before they pulled apart. "You're looking great."

"Thank you." Titania took a step back to let Vert fully take in her ensemble. A loose-fitting black shirt with red filigree running along her sleeves covered her upper body, with white pants and black, shin-high, leather boots over her legs and feet. Dangling from a chain around her neck, wrought in sterling silver, was a small locket with a stylized cross printed across its surface. The Belmont family crest. Clipped to her belt was the weapon of choice for the famed Belmont family of Atlas, a whip.

Vert couldn't help but smile at a memory of this particular whip wrapping around his ankle and pulling him across the Belmont's training field. It sure as hell silenced any doubts he had at its effectiveness as a weapon.

"What are you doing here?" Vert asked, "Last time I saw you, you wouldn't shut up about attending Atlas Academy."

"I changed my mind." Titania shrugged her shoulders, "Needed a change of scenery. What about you? Last I checked your parents were training you. They kick you out?"

"I wouldn't say kicked out. The plan was always for me to attend one of the academies when I came of age."

Titania smiled as she offered her hand to Vert. "Well then, here's to happy coincidences."

Vert took her hand and gave it a firm shake. "With you and me on the same team, nothing will be able to stop us."

"We'll still need two more people to make it a full team." Titania pointed out. "I've already met a few promising candidates."

With a gesture, Titania drew Vert's attention to a fair skinned girl wearing a dark brown shirt and a black beret talking with a dark-skinned boy in a sleeveless, burnt orange shirt that matched his hair.

"Coco seems nice enough, though Fox's conversational skills leave something to be desired," Titania explained.

"Nice to see you haven't changed at all."

Titania gave Vert a soft thump on his chest. "Well, how about you? Meet anyone promising?"

"There was this Rabbit Faunus I met out in the courtyard. Her name's Velvet Scarlatina."

"Black and brown outfit with gold highlights? Long, brown rabbit ears and hair? Holding a camera?" Vert raised an eyebrow as Titania continued to describe the girl he'd met not ten minutes ago.

"Do you know her or something?" He wouldn't be surprised if she had somehow met Velvet in the short time since they separated.

"No," she admitted before pointing across the room, "But there's a Rabbit Faunus over there. So I took a shot."

Vert followed Titania's finger, and sure enough, on the other side of the room, by the entrance, stood Velvet. She was talking with quite possibly the tallest boy Vert had ever seen in his life. He must've stood at least seven feet tall. The boy was dressed in half of a light green robe over a black tank top and brown pants. His muscular arms were bare save for a large pauldron over his left shoulder and armored gloves. Strapped across his back was a bronze colored sword, easily longer than Vert was tall.

Vert opened his mouth to call the two of them over when his eye caught sight of a man dressed in a finely pressed black and green suit and silver hair stepping on the stage. A pair of glasses sat low on his nose while his right hand held a light grip on a long metallic cane.

"That's Professor Ozpin," Titania whispered with a hint of awe coloring her voice.

Her awe was well placed. Professor Ozpin, the man who mentored some of the most powerful and well-respected Huntsmen and Huntresses Vale has ever seen, leading to a golden age of peace and prosperity. A golden age Vert was sure would last for decades to come.

Slowly, Beacon's Headmaster scanned the crowd. For a brief moment, Vert felt the weight of the Headmaster's stare before his intense brown eyes passed over him. From his spot on the floor, Vert could see the beginnings of a frown on the man's visage before it settled into a more neutral expression.

"First things first, I would like to welcome all of you to Beacon Academy." The Headmaster's gentle voice carried easily through the air as he addressed the room. "You have come here to take your first steps on the path of becoming Huntsmen and Huntresses. During your time here, you will undergo hardships unlike any you have faced before. There may come a time when the obstacles you face seem insurmountable. When that time comes, I want every one of you to remember one thing above all else. You need not face them alone. Your teachers will be here to guide you, and your classmates will be there to help you through any trials you might face."

Ozpin paused a moment to adjust his glasses and Vert saw a hard glint come over the Professor's eyes.

"But make no mistake. You may not face these trials alone, but you will succeed or fail on your own merits. Beacon accepts only the best, and I expect each and every one of you to be the best."

Without another word, Ozpin stepped away from the microphone and was replaced by a blonde woman wearing a black and purple cape.

"Tonight you will assemble in the ballroom. Tomorrow will be your initiation. Make sure you get plenty of rest."

* * *

For some, sleep was something that was easily obtained. Some people were blessed with the ability to fall asleep as soon as their head touched a pillow. Vert was not one of these people. Even as midnight approached and most of the other students had retired to their chosen spots on the ballroom floor, Vert remained wide awake, tossing and turning on his sleeping mat before coming to a rest on his back.

"It's not gonna happen," he murmured while sitting himself upright.

He couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Titania, curled up underneath her blanket, gently snoring while she faced whatever her dreams had in store for her tonight. Careful not wake her or the others around him, Vert tiptoed over to ballroom's large windows.

Quiet as a mouse, Vert slid the window open and propped his elbows on to the window sill. A soft breeze tousled his strawberry blond hair and cooled the skin his black tank top and shorts left exposed. He gave a small shiver while he stared out over the Academy grounds. The shattered moon, hanging high in the night sky, providing enough light to make out the fountain in the center.

' _It all starts tomorrow,_ ' Vert thought as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. ' _Once I pass the initiation tomorrow, my life as a Huntsman will truly begin._ '

The sound of the floor creaking behind him brought Vert out of his thoughts, "You can't sleep either?"

"Not a wink." Vert turned and found himself staring at a young man in a pair of gray sweatpants and nothing else. He was about as tall as Vert if a bit leaner, with lightly tanned skin. The boy's hair was a deep mahogany brown that tumbled past his ears in an unkempt mess.

But Vert didn't notice any of that at first. Vert's eye was immediately drawn to a long, narrow scar on this stranger's naked torso. The injury traced a line from his left shoulder, across his pectoral muscle, to the bottom of his sternum.

"Yeah, me neither," the stranger said, leaning his back against the wall next to Vert and the window. "Rooms full of people always put me on edge. So what's your excuse?"

"I've been training for this as long as I can remember. Now that it's finally here, I'm too excited to sleep," Vert admitted pushing himself away from the window. He offered a hand to the stranger. "My name's Vert by the way."

"Russell." the boy took Vert's hand in a firm grip. Vert was surprised by the strength in Russell's long, narrow fingers. "So what made you want to be a Huntsman?"

"We live in a dangerous world." Vert turned to look back out the window. The night was calm, but Vert could sense a tension in the air. "I want to do my part to make it safer."

Russell gave an amused chuckled and Vert could hear him mutter something about growing up with too many stories about heroes and monsters. Embarrassed, Vert was quick to try and move the subject away from himself.

"What about you, then? Why'd you come to Beacon?"

Russell spent a few more seconds chuckling to himself before he answered. "Ozpin showed up in my cell one day and offered me a place at his school. I had nothing better to do, so I accepted."

Vert waited for the punchline, for the 'just kidding,' for any indication that Russell was joking around with him. There was no way that Ozpin himself personally recruited this guy. From a prison no less. However, it soon became apparent that no such admission was coming. Vert couldn't help but reexamine the young man next to him.

He stood with an easy confidence Vert recognized all too well. It was the confidence of someone who has been in several brutal fights and came out of each the victor.

"Looks like everyone else is asleep." Seemingly unaware of Vert's staring, Russell pushed himself from the wall. "Should be safe enough for me to catch a few winks now."

Unsure of what he had meant by 'safe enough' Vert could only reply with, "It was nice meeting you, Russell." Vert's new acquaintance gave a thin smile, his gray eyes shining silver in the moonlight.

"We'll see."

Taken aback by Russell's response, Vert watched the young man move to a vacant spot in a far corner. Left by himself, Vert turned back to the window and stared out to the courtyard once more.

"These are going to be an interesting four years," he murmured before pulling the window shut.

* * *

The following morning, Vert woke up on the floor of the ballroom. Surrounded by strangers. Vert sat up on his sleeping mat with a yawn before he pushed himself to his feet. He suppressed a shiver as his bare feet touched the cold marble floor.

With a toss of his head, Vert shook away the last vestiges of sleep before running his hand through his hair. He then let his eyes scan the room. He wasn't the least bit surprised to find Titania already awake and stretching next to him, drawing the eyes of the few students awake enough to notice. All around them, their fellow students were rousing themselves from their slumber as the orange glow of dawn streaked in through the large windows.

"Good morning students." a voice called, crisp and clear, from the other side of the ballroom. Vert turned to follow the sound to its source. Standing at the entrance to the hall was the woman who had dismissed them the day before. Beacon Academy Deputy Headmistress.

Professor Glynda Goodwitch was the very picture of poise. Her posture was flawless as she took a single step into the ballroom. Her perfectly pressed white blouse and black skirt hugged the curves of her body. The same black and purple cape hung from her shoulders while her glasses sat neatly on the bridge of her nose. Her blonde hair pulled back into a neat bun.

Some students stirred at the Professor's words. A few started to rise from their sleeping mats. Most turned in their sleep, pulling their blankets tighter around them.

In the blink of an eye, a riding crop was in the Deputy Headmistress' hand. She swung her arm in a quick, horizontal swipe. In response to the movement, every blanket in the room tore away from its respective student. Vert smiled as several students voiced groggy complaints at the rude awakening.

Glynda paid the complaints no mind as she addressed the room once more. "Now then, if you will please follow me to the locker rooms. It's almost time for the initiation exercise."

At the mention of the academy's initiation exercise, Vert's hand shot up. "What exactly will we be doing for our initiation?" he asked once he had the Professor's attention. The woman's response was automatic.

"Professor Ozpin will explain everything when we arrive at the Emerald Forest."

It was a short walk from the ballroom to the locker rooms. During which Professor Goodwitch gave a brief overview of Beacon's history. As well as highlight some of the classes the new students would be attending during their time here.

Not that Vert or Titania heard a single word of it as the two friends trailed behind the group, discussing their plans for the initiation exercise.

"Professor Goodwitch mentioned the Emerald Forest in the ballroom," Titania reflected as they traversed the halls. "So the initiation will most likely involve us trying to get through unharmed. Though that doesn't tell us how we're supposed to form our teams."

"Maybe they'll assign them before the exercise begins," Vert suggested. "Or maybe we're supposed to form them ourselves in the forest."

"Maybe, but that seems a little haphazard. Most of us don't know each other, so it's impossible to know how well we'll work with these guys. And that's without even considering trying to match complementary fighting styles."

A warm smile played across Vert's face as Titania tried to piece together the mystery of how their teams would be sorted. Even when they were kids, she always liked to have everything figured out before she acted. Which more often than not, made it his job to keep her focused on the now.

"Tani," he said while gently tapping her shoulder. She didn't seem to notice that they had reached the locker room. Her topic of discussion having moved on from wondering how teams are formed to who she'd prefer to be teamed with.

Knowing she was mostly talking to herself right now, Vert left Titania to her musings and made his way to the locker he'd stowed his equipment in the day before. Within minutes his night clothes had been peeled off and replaced by his pants and boots. Before he threw on his shirt, he ran his fingers lightly over the symbol pressed to the shirt's shoulder. A sword planted into a small mound with a rising sun behind it. Vert smiled at his chosen emblem before pulling the shirt over his torso. Vert turned his attention to the weapons he'd stored with his clothes.

With a practiced hand, Vert belted his sword to his left hip and strapped the holster to his right thigh. Reaching back into the locker, Vert pulled out five narrow cylinders. He slid the unmarked cylinder into a pouch on his holster and clipped the remaining four, each marked with a different colored strip, to his belt.

With all his gear ready to go, Vert started for the room's exit, a half-remembered tune humming its way through his lips. As he turned the corner at the end of a row of lockers, a pair of familiar rabbit ears caught his eye.

Velvet stood in front of her open locker, her head bent forward as she stared at a small black box she held tightly between her hands. Vert watched her shoulders tremble before she inhaled and exhaled deeply, forcing her shoulders to remain still. Her nerves seemingly calmed Velvet clipped the box to the back of her belt before she shut her locker and turned to face him.

A look of faint surprise spread across her face before it was replaced with a small smile.

"Good morning, Vert," she greeted.

"Good morning, Velvet," he reciprocated. "Ready for the initiation?"

"I think so. Although I will admit, I'm a little nervous."

"Why's that?"

"You heard what Professor Ozpin said yesterday. Beacon only accepts the best."

A moment a silence passed between the two before Vert broke it with a chuckle.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you have nothing to worry about then." He couldn't help but smile at the confused look on her face. "I think the fact that you're here at all means you are one of the best."

Vert left Velvet at a loss for words as he bid her farewell and made his way for the exit. Titania was waiting for him with a wry smile on her face. Vert ignored her comments as he took one last look at Velvet and gave her a confident thumbs up.

* * *

Professor Ozpin was waiting for the class of freshmen at the edge of the cliff where the initiation exercise would begin. Behind him, stretching as far as the eye could see, was the Emerald Forest.

With her usual efficiency, Glynda had the students line up shoulder to shoulder in front of the Headmaster before she took her place at his side. The Headmaster sipped his coffee before sharing a nod of approval with his Deputy Headmistress.

With everyone present and accounted for, Ozpin stepped forward to address his newest batch of students. "Today you will put your training and skills as warriors to the test as you make your way through the Emerald Forest. I'm sure many of you have been wondering about the placement of teams. Well, rest assured that by the end of this exercise, each of you who pass will be assigned to a team of four."

When Ozpin paused for a sip of his coffee, Vert used the opportunity to gauge the reactions of his fellow students. Most of them seemed excited at the prospect. Although, he saw Russell rolling his eyes at the mention of being placed on a team. The expression of disdain did not go unnoticed by Glynda, who shot a withering glare at the young man.

"These teammates will be with you for the duration of your time here at Beacon. So it will be in your best interests to partner with someone you will be able to work well with."

Vert and Titania exchanged conspiratorial glances, their plan to partner up with each other already taking shape.

As if to shoot down their plot before it even began, Ozpin announced, "Having said that, the first person you make eye contact with while you are within the forest will be your partner for the next four years."

Titania's mouth dropped open as the realization that teams would essentially be decided at random dawned upon her. Vert placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, all while trying his hardest to not laugh at her distraught expression.

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee, allowing Glynda the opportunity to step forward to address the group of students.

"Once you've partnered up, you are to make your way to the northern end of the forest. Your goal is to locate an abandoned temple at the end of the path. Within this temple are several relics. Each pair is to take one of these relics and return to this location. Accomplish this task, and your place at Beacon will be assured. "

Upon hearing their objective, one of the students barked a laugh, "This initiation is going to be a piece of cake." A murmur of agreement coursed through the crowd of students, even as Glynda stepped back to allow Ozpin to retake his place before them.

When he spoke again, his voice had taken a more serious tone than before. "The forest is home to many powerful Grimm. While you will be monitored for the duration of this exercise, our instructors will not intervene should you encounter opposition. If you are not ready to fight with everything you have, you will die."

Silence fell over the group of students as Ozpin's words hung in the air. The silence held until Ozpin asked his students if they had any questions. The group of students shook their heads, prompting a small smile to grow upon the Headmaster's face.

"Then take your positions."

Stepping onto one of the silver launchpads built into the ground, Vert looked down the line of students to see Russell give an exaggerated yawn before his launchpad catapulted upwards. The seemingly bored young man shot into the air like a bullet, his faded brown duster flaring wild in the wind behind him.

One by one the students were launched over the forest until only Vert and Titania remained.

"I'll see you down there, Tani," Vert promised. A moment later a soft click sounded beneath him, and before he knew it, Vert was airborne.

* * *

 **AN: I was never any good at these little author's notes people like to put at the end of their chapters. I'm never really sure what to say in them and they always sound awkward to me. That being said, they are my best chance to talk to those of you who read my story and let you all how much I appreciate your support. So with that in mind, let's get started.**

 **I was displeased with how my first RWBY Fanfic, VTRY, was turning out. Things I meant to happen never did, a couple of story arcs went literally nowhere, and two of my primary protagonists were completely absent from what was essentially the climax of the first Volume. It was honestly just a mess and a good reminder as to why I should really plan things out before writing.**

 **So I scrapped it, after wallowing in self-pity for a while, and I started over with a new name and goal. Tell the story of their time at Beacon.**

 **So without further ado, welcome to VRNT (Verdant), I've already introduced the V, R, and T but sadly couldn't really find a way to squeeze N in without the chapter feeling bloated... well more so than it already is. Please leave a review if you liked the chapter, or even if you didn't let me know what to fix. I hope you enjoy your stay.**


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